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Among the many chronic joint diseases is rheumatoid arthritis, which manifests itself in painful inflammation of the joint lining. It can lead to long term damage, loss of joint function and permanent disability. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by three distinct phases, Stage I includes the swelling of the joint lining which causes pain and swelling around the effected joint, Stage II is characterized by the thickening of the joint lining and in Stage III the thickened lining can actually cause the bone and cartilage to deteriorate leading to disability and obviously misshapen and misaligned joints.
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